My beautiful friend
by Catness
Summary: This story contains character death. Mary gets murdered and Danny is left to ponder his thoughts and regrets. MD. Dedicated to SarahSoph. Story complete
1. Chapter one

Author's notes: This was an idea that I couldn't get out of my head. Please review if you would like me to continue. You were the inspiration for this story SarahSoph. Thankyou!

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**My beautiful friend...**

By Cat

Danny stood with his head down. His eyes remained at the same place. He had not moved for hours. He was standing in the cemetery. In between two graves. His mother's... and her's. His eyes had refused to look at anything but the grave of his best friend. She was everything to him. Then she got brutally murdered. A night after their brilliant marriage. They had both been so happy. A loving couple. No-one could have been happier than them. She had looked beautiful in a white, strapless dress. The thing he could not forget though was her eyes. They had sparkled a beautiful brown. She had been so happy.

Ed had given him time off from his job at the Montecito. Danny had taken it with open arms. He had needed time to think about what had happened. Why he had not said anything about his love for her sooner. His thoughts were in the middle of the defects that had been in their relationship- he had realised that most of them were by his part- when his boss, Ed Deline rested a hand gently on his shoulder.

"You okay kid?" He asked gently.

Danny's eyes shifted from the gravestone and he turned to face Ed. Ed noticed that his eyes were red and puffy, his cloths were ruffled and he looked as though he had not had a good meal or any sleep ever since the night he had found out about his newly wedded wife had died.

Danny nodded meekly. His and Ed's eyes met, if only for a second. Ed seemed to register what Danny was going through at the moment. He knew that his protégé had loved the woman deeply. He could not do anything about her death. And he regretted not being able to do much for her when she was alive.

Danny had loved her ever since fourth grade. He had kissed her behind the swings in the school playground. He had only done it as a dare at the time. But as time passed he realised that he had wanted to kiss her, not just so he wouldn't be called a scaredy cat by his friends. He had realised his love for her and had asked her to the prom. He had even bought her a dress for the event. Not because he liked to be in control. Or even to get her to show off a little skin. But after she had moved in with Danny and his father, she had not had much money and he wanted to make her feel like family. Danny had always tried to give her the best.

She was his best friend. Danny knew that Mary deserved better. For many reasons. She had been through a lot in her life and putting up with him was often the straw that broke the camels back, during arguments and such.

Both Danny and Mary had many great friends throughout their lives, but none as great as each other. Danny and Mary, either one you chose, had suffered from jealousy in each other's romantic life more than once. Quite a few times actually. Mary had also brought up their "relationship" in a few conversations too. This made him slightly more negative about the whole commitment thing. Even more so was the effect his mother's death had on his father. His father had been very torn up since his mother's death. Danny had always been scared about the same sort of thing happening to himself. When his mother had died, his father had stopped spending time with him, they stopped going to boxing fights and his father had never visited his football matches. This also hurt Danny. His regret was that if he had kids with Mary, that when she died he would do the same thing his father had. Fortunately they had not had kids.

Mary had wanted them though. Ever since year four. Behind the swings. She had always told him that she wanted five kids, ten dogs and to ride away from her wedding on the back of Prince's motorcycle. He felt guilty for not fulfilling any of these. Although he was sure about her joking on the latter one, it would have brought back happy memories.

The night they had spent before Danny had left for the marines was that of mixed emotions. He had been happy to finally tell her hat he loved her. But his four years in the marines had obviously erased any effect of that night into the fire and burnt miserably. The first thing he did when he returned from the marines was to start dating Big Ed's daughter. Not that he knew it at the time though. Mary had chided him for this. Her harsh words had been filled with both anger and jealousy. Which Danny had mentally pushed away at the time. He regretted this of course. As he did most of his relationship with Mary.

"You should go home and get some sleep Danny..." Ed said quietly. His voice had become a whisper in the slight breeze.

Danny nodded and after bending down and touching the gravestone slightly he followed his boss to the small car park. Leaving behind the gravestone surrounded by flowers.

Mary Alexandra Connell

13 September 1975- 12 November 2004

In loving memory always...

_TO BE CONTINUED...

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AN: I did not know some of the details of characters and such so I ball-parked some of it. Please review if you would like me to continue.


	2. Chapter two

Okay, I'm back for another chapter. Song Danny listens to is called "My beautiful friend" by Guy Sebastian.

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**My beautiful friend...**

**_Chapter two..._**

By Cat

The cool night breeze swept Danny's hair ever so slightly. However, it went unnoticed by the ex-marine who stood on the doorstep of the house he and Mary had owned and shared before she had... passed away. God, this place brought back many memories. Both happy and unhappy. He sighed as he placed the key in the lock and turned it. He entered the house quietly, closing the door behind him, and sat down on the bed in the master bedroom.

Pictures on the walls and bedside table looked down on him. They were mainly of himself and Mary. Dating from when they were only young children, through teenage hell and through to their marriage. They were like a timeline, showing the events of their lives and successes. His eyes viewed the pictures until they fell on a particular photo. Their marriage. The picture was of Danny and Mary in their wedding clothes, Danny standing with his arm around her. Surrounding them was their wedding party, which included Danny's father, Mary's mother, Ed and the rest of their friends from the Montecito.

He remembered the night they had gotten married. They had decided to go a honeymoon within a few days of their marriage. But Danny didn't want to take the trip. He had decided that it would bring back too much, he didn't think he could have handled the sorrow.

He lay back and closed his eyes. It was too bad that she wasn't here. His father, Ed and everyone else from the Montecito had been there for him after Mary's death but he knew that he had to make it without them. He needed to work everything out by himself. His thoughts, regrets, everything! His heart was broken, true, but that didn't mean he had to live his life in sorrow. Mary didn't want that for him, Danny knew this. But he had to have time to think.

He had once asked Mary a question... "Why can't things be the way they were...?" He had said.

"Because they can't..." She had said. Her reply was simple. But he could not help thinking she was right.

This had happened the night they had been trapped in a lift. Danny regretted the night. He was too scared to ask her to marry him. The reason was that he had resented the fact that Mary had placed him so high on a pedestal that if he fell he would not ever hit the ground. He could see why she had done so. He had protected her throughout childhood and her teenage life often. He had done so a few times during adulthood also.

Regret, Danny thought of often, was when they were teenagers. He had never spent all that much time with Mary. Sure he spent most of the week with her but come Fridays... He always had a date or some girl he was to take out. But funnily enough, not once did he do the same with Mary.

Danny got up, if only for a second and turned on the CD player. The voice of a male singer filled the room. Danny recognized it as one of Mary's favourite CDs, a Guy Sebastian... or at least Danny thought it was some singer like that. The voice was soothing to Danny. He closed his eyes as he listened to the lyrics...

_-A million hearts are hurting cause they love you  
Close your eyes and feel their arms around you now  
Baby just like me I'm sure they're thinking of you  
But know somehow this will all work out  
I sat up on the roof  
And stare at the stars now  
For a reason why or something I can do  
Every thing that mattered yesterday so far now  
Away from you-_

Danny felt that somehow he could relate to the moral value of the song. It was sad how everything Danny did reflected back somehow to Mary- his one true friend, his lover, his life. His heart was dedicated to Mary and Mary only. A love that nothing could compare, an obsession, a true friendship. Danny's thoughts turned back to the night she had died.

**.::O::.**

Danny rushed into the emergency room running next to the stretcher that held Mary's fading body. The bullet wound was bleeding extensively. Danny held her hand while calling support to her over the voices of doctors and nurses. Mary was crying as was Danny. Both were absolutely covered in Mary's blood. The doctors and nurses were rushing Mary into the operating theatre when Danny called out...

"I love you Mary Connell, I always have and I always will!" It was the last time Danny had admitted his feelings to her. But it was also the last time he was able to admit it to her.

**.::O::.**

_-What you're going through... baby  
But just you hold on girl (you gotta get through this)  
Yes you are, and try to be strong girl (you know you can do this)  
because baby love will conquer all  
and it won't be long before you'll be dancing in the rain again  
my beautiful friend...  
My beautiful friend...  
If you ever feel there's no strength left inside you  
Just know I'm by your side and holding your hand tight  
Sometimes the moon is all the light you need to guide you  
Through the darkest night  
Let me be the light.. Yeah-_

Danny opened his eyes to the deep blue night sky. He was in an open field. 'I must be dreaming...' he thought as his eyes ventured around himself winding themselves through the night. Then he saw it. A light, piercing through the sky. He squinted at the light as it neared. Then the light dropped to the ground some few feet away. Danny stood and recognized the light. It was Mary. 'This is definitely a dream!' Danny thought blissfully. He walked over to the angelic form, dressed in white, a halo above her brown/ red hair. They reached out and their hands touched for a second.

_-But just you hold on (you gotta get through this)  
Yes you are, yes you are, and try to be strong (you know you can do this)  
Cause baby love will conquer all  
and it won't be long before you'll be dancing in the rain again-  
_

"Mary..." Danny whispered.

"Danny..." She smiled to him and grasped his hand. The warmth made Danny smile also. "Please don't mourn anymore. You know that no matter if I have passed away. I will always be watching over you. Protecting you as you have done me."

-_The desert soon will turn to bloom  
You'll start to feel a change in you  
The sky will seem a deeper blue than it ever was before  
A whole new world will open up as you stand face to face with love  
And though I can't imagine how you'll be more beautiful than you are now  
(You gotta get through this)  
Don't you be afraid girl just hold on (you know you can do this)-_

"I love you Danny McCoy, I always have and I always will." She repeated as she had many times done since he had returned from the marines. She leant forward and they shared a brief kiss.

"I love you Mary Connell, I always have and I always will." The promise echoed into the night and throughout his mind as Danny opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep. He stood and slid the door open. He stepped outside and looked towards the sky. It might have just been him but he could swear that he saw in the clouds, the face of his one true love, Mary.

-_The only thing I'm sure of is that love will conquer all  
and it won't be long before you'll be dancing in the rain again  
won't you save me one dance with you then?  
My beautiful friend...  
My beautiful friend...-_

THE END!

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AN: That's the end. As I mentioned. The story is dedicated to you SarahSoph...


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